Setting up new 45 gallon cube.

C

ChappyChap

Reefing newb
I've got a 45 gallon cube predrilled. Picked up an aquarium life support systems p1000 sump, a return pump, a good power head. The sump has bioballs and a floss pre filter so I may change to something different below the pre filter. I've filled everything with half saltwater from tanks at the lfs and half premixed. I have 40 lbs of Fiji pink live sand and about 10 lbs of rock, w more coming Friday. I turned the sump on and kept getting a slurping sound even though the drain 90 has a breather tube in it. The only info I found in a search concerned overflow boxes and I don't have one of those. I've left the sump, w just water in it to the water level line until the water in the main tank settles. How do I get rid of the sound, when I add water it just fills up the sump too high and doesn't make the sound go away. I'm sure this a newb question but if someone doesn't mind could you help me out? Other than that am I off to a decent start?
 
Take a piece of air line, about a foot to a foot and a half and run it into the breather hole on your drain. You will need to "tune"it. Push the line in and slowly back it out until you find the quiet spot. Once you find the quiet spot if the line is snug just leave the line in there if its not snug (can get sucked in) mark the line and take a rubber band and put it on the line to give it some thickness. That should prevent the line getting sucked down the overflow. At that point it should be almost silent.
 
+1 Ted
What Ted said is good!

Another trick I had to use was to install a ball valve just below my return exit from the tank, I adjust this to as fast as I can get the water to drain and be silent. (in other words I started with it wide open and slowly closed it until it was silent.) At that point mine is still plenty open to be sure I won't overflow my tank. You must be sure this ball valve is as big as your exhaust drain from your tank. Besides, several times that ball valve has been a wonderful asset.
 
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Here is a pic of my ball valve... notice I also installed a union above it so I can take it apart if need be.
 

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Agh I have poly tube and barbed fitting running into the sump. I suppose I could try to cut everything out and run straight schedule 40. As far as the breather part, it has a piece of hard airline type tubing in it but I can't adjust it at all. Am I supposed to push it to the bottom of the tank or just the 90?
 
You can run skd 40 as I did,
..................but... it may be wise to leave a short section of poly, 3 or 4" long, as the first short section so it will act like a union and allow you to get your stand pipe out if your ever need to. It also provides some flex in the PVC line.

BTW: I like how you are thinking it through... and doing it well.
 
I kinda messed with the supplied breather tube and got it to stop sucking as much. Its more of a glug glug sound now. I think I may have to knock out a section of the little overflow type box that they had siliconed in at the factory to hide the bulkheads maybe that's inhibiting a good flow rate. Once the water clears up more ill be able to tell.
 
The gluging means its still not tuned in. I would not remove the over flow box. Air is being trapped in your drain line. When it pushes through you get the glug. If you can reach it with the airline the bubble will then go back up the airline and no more glugs. I use flexible airline to accomplish this. A valve on the drain line can be a good idea. Just be careful that you dont cut it to far back. I would recommend a gate valve instead of a ball valve. You can make smaller adjustments.
 
Yes all I can hear now is the pump whirring, a put a piece a of corrugated plastic under it to lessen vibration against the sump floor. Also just a gentle splashing of the water over the live rock rubble in the sump. It's in my room a few feet from me and I had no problem sleeping through it. Water has cleared in both tanks, coral polyps re emerging and no deaths in the smaller tank! I feel like I might get the hang of this stuff.
 
ChappyChap said:
Yes all I can hear now is the pump whirring, a put a piece a of corrugated plastic under it to lessen vibration against the sump floor. Also just a gentle splashing of the water over the live rock rubble in the sump. It's in my room a few feet from me and I had no problem sleeping through it. Water has cleared in both tanks, coral polyps re emerging and no deaths in the smaller tank! I feel like I might get the hang of this stuff.
Click to expand...

Dude that is cool, I have all the logistics down to a science.. it is the bio and chemistry I struggle with... major learning curve here. I'm still trying to get my coral to pop... you just may of jumped one ahead of me. so.. give yourself a high five when no one is looking.....LOL
 
ChappyChap said:
Yes all I can hear now is the pump whirring, a put a piece a of corrugated plastic under it to lessen vibration against the sump floor. Also just a gentle splashing of the water over the live rock rubble in the sump. It's in my room a few feet from me and I had no problem sleeping through it. Water has cleared in both tanks, coral polyps re emerging and no deaths in the smaller tank! I feel like I might get the hang of this stuff.
Click to expand...
Thats great...ya the soft sounds of my tank really help me sleep.
 
I've got my mail order live rock in it now. About 40lbs and its the most gnarly rock ive seen, better than from any lfs i think its straight out of the pacific, with all kinds of stuff on it. I called the lfs I bought the tank and stand from and they had a 70 gallon cube, just a bit larger than my 45 cube but I think they will take it back and let me upgrade. The sump and pump should be fine if I decide to upgrade right? I'll just drain the water down add more sand and water and about 25 more pounds of rock. My 24" fixture should work right, and 200 watt heater or would I have to upgrade everything?
 
Should be ok...Might want to increase the water flow in the tank with stronger or more powerheads...I think multiple powerheads are better then a few bigger ones...
Right now my turn over is 40 times a hour....and I have a wave maker to give shifting flows...How strong is your light? What kind of light?
 
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6x54 watt gives you 4.63 per gallon on a 70 gallon tank...should be good for most stuff..Softies, zoahs, shrooms most LPS...SPS are more light but I dont really like those anyway...
 

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